Fallout : 2263
by G.R.W
Summary: The story takes place in the year 2263. It follows the story of a man that's mostly known as a mercenary/wanderer that operates in the remains of Oklahoma City and it's outskirts.
1. 23rd of October, 2077

_**Fallout : 2263.**_

* * *

 _ **.I. 23rd of October, 2077.**_

* * *

' _You see, way back, before the bombs fell, the_ _re was not much to do, but waste the time, by either work, eat or sleep, not much to kill time with..._

 _The time went slow, the day barely made it in_ _to night, the sun struggled to put himself to bed, time moved as if it didn't wanted to, as if it feared the day of tomorrow, the days to come..._

 _But it all felt normal to all people, most fel_ _t as if it was another day in which the land ain't gonna plough itself, the cows won't milk themselves and the hen's eggs will not pick themselves up, and roll all the way to the house and climb on the counter._

 _The morning of that day everything changed, wh_ _ich began with the singing of the rooster, as every other morning. In the farmlands of The Plains Commonwealth, two and a half miles away from Oklahoma City, at the farm of Robert C. Wilson, a simple, modest farmer._

 _'Jack !', he yelled, as he walked out of the h_ _ouse, on the front porch. 'Come on, we have work to do...', he continued, while picking his teeth with a quill._

 _In the house, Robert's wife, Emma, was washin_ _g the dishes after breakfast._

 _'Jack, didn't you hear your father ? J_ _ack !'_

 _Upstairs, in the attic, among old and dusty box_ _es, and memorabilia, near the window, Jack was searching inside a chest for something._

 _'Where is it ! It was here last time I sa_ _w it...', he rais_ _ed his head from the chest and looked around. 'This is where I left it !', he continued, as he got up, and looked around some more._

 _'Jack ? You up here ?', asked Emma as s_ _he walked u_ _p the stairs._

 _'I am.', her son responded._

 _'Well, come down sweetie, yo_ _ur father need_ _s you. What are you looking for ?'_

 _'Grandpa's hat...I left it on th_ _e chest, but now I can't find it.'_

 _'I took it, it's downstairs. I th_ _ought you saw it. Now, come...'._

 _While the two, came downstairs, Ro_ _bert, prepared the horses. You see, he was a traditional man, as he didn't love nor had any kind of technology in his home, besides the fridge. He had a truck, but rarely used it, a birthday gift from his oldest son and daughter, Michael and Debrah, who were now living in the city. Debrah was working as a Hairstylist, and Michael helped as an Economic Advisor, for most of the businesses in Oklahoma City._

 _Robert, was not very keen on living a life base_ _d on the value of mo_ _ney, all he did with the money he made from selling his crops, was pay the taxes. And if the refrigerator would break he'd buy a new one and that was it. He lived off the land he worked all year long. He tried to teach his children what he knew, but to no avail. For one wanted to become a mathematical genius and the other, his dau_ _ghter, a designer. All he had left, and maybe the one in which he had put all his hope in, was little Jack, his youngest son, who was eleven years old._

 _Young Jack, seemed to like working the land, enjoy_ _ed watching the sky turn from yellow in the morning, to blue in the middle of the day than orange at the sunset, and later, slowly to a reddi_ _sh dark._

 _Soon enough, his son walked out of the ho_ _use, with his grandpa's hat on, he was heading to the stables, where his dad, had already prepared the horses. They were going hunting, as some foxes made a burrow not far from the farm, and began to venture closer to the hens coop._

 _'So, are we going ?', asked Robert._

 _'Yeah.', quickly answered the son, getting on hi_ _s horse. 'Let's go Bill ! Hya !'_

 _'Be careful !', said Emma, from the front porc_ _h, as the two left the farm and headed towards the river, half a mile away._

 _..._

 _They left for few hours, then made their way_ _back with two foxes on Jack's horse, Bill._

 _While walking towards the farm, Robert notic_ _ed a red pickup truck parked near the house. It was Michael's._

 _'He has come to visit, huh ?', mur_ _mured Robert._

 _'What's that ?' asked Jack. Walking in fro_ _nt of his father, holding Bill by the reins._

 _'Michael ! He has come to visit.', replied Ro_ _bert. 'Probably your sister too.'._

 _'That's great !', said Jack wi_ _th joy._

 _'Mhm, if you say so. Wonder wh_ _at he wants now...'._

 _'Mom says he wants to help.'_

 _'If he wanted to help he shou_ _ld've stayed here instead of fleeing in the city.'._

 _..._

 _Soon, the two arrived back at the house. Mich_ _ael and Debrah were sitting on the front porch. Emma, walked out of the house as well._

 _'They've come back.', said Debrah, as she sto_ _od up from her chair and went to greet them. 'Good hunt ?'_

 _'Deb !', yelled Jack, letting go of Bill's rains an_ _d ran towards her._

 _'Hey !', she said laughing. 'You grew a bit sin_ _ce last time I saw you.', she continued smiling. Then she looked at her father. 'Dad, how are you ?'_

 _'I'm fine.'. he responded, while taking the fox_ _es off Bill's back._

 _'Mornin' dad.', began Michael. 'How's th_ _e truck ?'_

 _'Useless. Wh_ _at's the reason of your visit ?'._

 _'Came to ta_ _lk.'_

 _'About ?', asked Robert._

 _I recall back then the feel_ _ing of urgency, but it might be also a feeling that changed during the years, as I did. I rather believe it was impatience, for I wanted Michael to end the talk he had with our father. Because I needed to ta_ _lk about something with him myself._

 _They talked on the front porch while the rest of us we_ _nt to take the horses to the stables._

 _'Debrah, my dear, how is your work ? Does it pay well en_ _ough ?', asked Emma. 'Is it enough to pay your bills, and there's the rent ?_

 _'I, moved in with Michael, around four months ago.', Deb_ _rah answered._

 _'Why ? You didn't have enough money to pa_ _y the rent ?', asked our mother, worried. She was always concerned, gave her everything so that we could be healthy and happy. She was the kind one, while our father was a bit more harsh, he had rules, and high expectations of us. Yet when Michael said that he wanted to leave and settle in the city, he did mention his disappointment regarding his choice. But, he knew he couldn't stop him, nor change his mind, he was so much like him. He was his son after all, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree._

 _'He lived alone, and he asked m_ _e to move in with him...', replied Debrah, walking towards her mother. Who was looking at her with very much love, and understanding. Proud, that her children cared in such a deep way about each other._

 _On the front porch of the house, Robert didn't look very sa_ _tisfied with the offer his son had presented to him. He was standing in front of Michael with his hands on his hips, looking down, listening, moving his jaw._

 _'Michael, no !', he interrupted his son, wit_ _h a deep roar, that was heard even from the stables._

 _'Dad, I-'. Robert interrupted him again, this time by pla_ _cing his right hand on Michael's left shoulder._

 _'I understand you want to help me and your mother. But, we are f_ _ine here.', he looked in his son's eyes. 'I am sorry for being angry with you all this time and I want you to understand how much I love you, Michael. I made this life, for you, in my mind...A life that I thought you'd grow to appreciate as much as I do, I was wrong to force you...my first child...into something-'_

 _'Dad. You didn't for_ _ce me. I understand.'_

 _'I know you do. Your my boy.', Robert re_ _plied. We never saw dad cry, never. Besides the one tear he allowed leave his eyes, when our grandfather died and that was some time ago. Until that day, when he talked with Michael. He didn't shed any tears for he held onto them, as he always did. 'But-'._

 _'Michael ! Look at it !', yelled Debrah, run_ _ning out of the stables holding a device in her hand._

 _'Take Jack, you understand ? Take Jack.', resum_ _ed Robert, leaning towards his son, then taking Michael's head in his hand, touching his forehead to his. 'Take Jack and go.'._

 _Michael nodded. 'I-.'._

 _'I know, now go !'_

 _Michael turned his back to Robert, then loo_ _ked back at him._

 _At that second a big blast was heard from east, then light fol_ _lowed. Not long after the trees that sat not far from the farm began to incline west. Michael leaped towards the stables while pressing a button on the device he held in his hand, Debrah did the same and at the same time she looked at her mother and little brother back inside the stables, then her father on the porch._

 _Next thing she saw was Michael appearing behind Jack. Th_ _en nothing._

 _..._

 _'_ Well, that is a pretty good story...', a woman said. 'They told me you were good. That you're the guy that turns waste into gold...'.

'I guess you listened the right people, then.', a man responded. He had a bag on his head, and his arms and legs duck taped to a metal chair.

'Tsk, tsk, tsk. I didn't say I believed them, did I ? Now, there's a nice reward for you, enough for a substantial amount of Jet or Med-X or Buffout...'. she continued with a dumb smile on her face.

'Oh, come on. I could get you more caps then those Oklahoma City losers. Just cut me loose. all right ? We can make a deal... Come on !', he replied.

'Here is your deal...', she resumed, while placing the barrel of her shotgun on her hostage's forehead. 'You get your brains blown out... And I get my hard earned caps ! It wasn't easy catching you. You killed half of my crew, it's blood paying for blood.'.

The room they were in was an old diner, half of it blown. On it's floor were resting the bodies of six members of the woman's crew. Each in his own puddle of blood, each with either a bullet in the head or a knife to the heart, others with a missing limb.

'So, no deal ?'.

What followed was the sound of two shotgun shells slipping into the chamber of the gun.

'No deal. It's about time I shut that mouth of yours.', she said laughing, holding the shotgun to the hostage's head. Slowly sliding her finger on the trigger.


	2. 23rd of October, 2263

_**Fallout : 2263**_

* * *

 _ **.II. 23rd of October, 2263.**_

* * *

The sky, seemed, motionless that day. The very few clouds present, moved as if they had nowhere to be. And, with not even the slightest wish to shade the place above the rusty, scrap metal made tavern. Not far from the sun beaten people of Barkey's Sanctuary, who, were picking the potatoes from the dried dirt.

That hot morning of October had two clouds wandering the sky, that were tied to one another by a thin, cord like shaped line, that would become thinner and thinner as one kept advancing south and the other, although, heading in the same direction, remained behind, struggling, to keep up with the other, but, to no avail. The other was quicker, as if it had it all figured out, and despite his connection and familiarity with the other, it chose to quicken it's pace. It didn't take long for the slower one to get left behind, on the clear blue sky, that to the lonely cloud must've looked like a desert of endless blue. Days may pass until it may unite with another, or just disappear in loneliness as he's being consumed by the dark clouds, and fall, taking the shape of water droplets and be showered upon the dried earth. Only to be reborn once again, come sun's warm touch.

Such is life, unforgiving. Moving in an endless circle, towards the moment it transcends into nothingness, into death, and becomes motionless.

...

'Debrah.'

'What ?'

'Did you get any news about Jack's return to town ?'

'I didn't. Why ?'

Michael pulled out of his back pocket a rugged, yellowish sheet of paper, and placed it on the table.

'From where did you pick that up ?'

'Glow Town. This morning.'

'One thousand caps...', she said, as she cut a potato in half. 'He's been making a name for himself, those years while we were on ice.', cutting the halves in half as well.

'I asked around, and I found out some drug addict-gangster chick, named 'Blue Eye' Wendy had left yesterday, planning to collect the reward...'.

'We know he's back at least.'.

'Mhm...'.

'Are you trying to say something, Michael ?', asked Debrah, placing the knife on the table, looking at her brother.

He nodded.

'Get your stuff. We leave in 10.'.

...

'It wasn't easy to catch you...', said the woman, ready to push the trigger.

The man scoffed.

'You seem confident enough...'

'What ?', asked the woman, pushing the man's head back with the barrel of the gun

'Don't get me wrong. Confidence, is good. But, this situation requires a wee bit of skill. Skill, that you don't possess.'.

'Really, how so ?'

'Let me show you...'.

The man managed to keep the woman talking enough time so he could release his right hand. With which he quickly grabbed her hand and moved the barrel of the gun away from his head and unnoticed by the woman, he slipped his finger behind the trigger.

'Also. I can see through this bag...'. he said as he released his right leg and headbutted the woman. Who immediately fired the gun into the ceiling.

'Motherfucker !', yelled the woman, as the man freed all his limbs and leapt beyond the counter, to his right.

She took a few steps back, reloading the gun with another round, while aiming at the counter.

'Hey, what can I say ? You fucked with the wrong guy !', said the man, as he threw a pan towards the woman, knocking the gun out the grasp of her hand.

'Shit !'

He then quickly jumped the counter, and bolted towards her. She made a punch out of her left hand and managed to almost hit the man who grabbed her by the waist and slammed her against the wall standing behind her.

She fell on her knees. And as she raised her head she saw the man pick up his holster and take the weapon out of it.

'I told you. Skill can beat anything...', he said with a smile, cocking the weapon aimed at the woman's head. He wanted to fire but, his attention quickly shifted to a running, rotting, group of corpses, of feral ghouls, approaching quickly the diner from south.

'Damn. They must've heard the gunshots...', he checked his clip, revealing only five bullets. 'Tsk.', then looked at the woman. 'Fuck it. Get up.'.

'What ?'

'Do you wanna die ?'

'What are you doing ?'

'Saving your ass.'.

'There is no way we can out run them.', she said as the man picked her up, on his back.

'Shut up.'

He ran through the back of the diner into a small alley, then inside an old warehouse, behind a cargo box.

'Here you are.', he said smiling.

Turning the old heap of metal on at the press of a button near the handle. The fierce deep roar of the machinery filled the warehouse.

'Get on.', he said, feeding the acceleration.

The woman did like the man said.

With a loud war-like-scream the rusty veteran, skid it's back tire, bolting out from behind the cargo pod, towards the door of the warehouse.

'Here, take this.', said the man, handing the woman a 9mm pistol. 'Don't shoot me, shoot the ghouls !'.

'Got it !', replied the woman.

The sound of the pre war machine resonated through the small alley. Sliding out of it, with tire smoke and dust following behind. Through the momentum of the slide he was swinging a metal pipe that he picked up, crushing the skull of a ghoul the charged towards them, as the rest followed the loud rusty veteran, as it was accelerating ahead through the time worn remains of the asphalt and concrete streets, of Oklahoma City.

The secondary streets began to be filled with other feral ghouls joining on the main street leading towards Glow Town, the biggest settlement in the Oklahoma City area. A hub for trade and home to at least a thousand wastelanders, closely followed by Barkey's Sanctuary, with a few hundred settlers.

'You know this road leads to Glow Town, right ?', asked the woman as she shot down ghoul after ghoul.

'I know...', answered the man, tensing his jaws at the end.

He picked up a radio, he had placed on the right side of the gas tank. 'This is Red Harley, copy ?'.

The man's voice was heard in the main radio in Barkey's Sanctuary, just as Debrah and Michael were headed to the gate.

'Michael ! We got Red Harley on the main channel !', yelled a young scrawny boy as he ran out of the radio building.

'We got a few dozen ghouls on our tail, with a few more joining from secondary streets. We're heading for Glow Town, unable to change direction. Hub, do you copy ?'

'We copy, Red Harley. We'll get you some fire power !', replied Michael.

'Roger that.', the man replied, accelerating to full throttle the old heap of rust, getting further and further from the horde. 'Hold on tight !'.

It's engine pushed to the limit, to the absolute maximum, the machine rocketed through the desolate, apocalyptic streets. Roaring, and vibrating, burning the gallons of fuel that propelled it ahead.

It did not take long for them to reach the point in which Glow Town's huge steel gates could be spotted.

Among the old rusty water towers ahead of Glow Town, a wall had risen. A wall of men and women. A wall prepared and ready to deliver the requested FIREPOWER.

While from behind the live wall, a Vertibird approached...

'When death comes close to our town's gates, we, shall burn it to smoking ashes !', a gravely voice spoke through the radio. 'Salvation has reached your eyesight, friend. Welcome, to Glow Town you rotting bastards !', the sound of machine gun fire followed. 'Burn you vermin ! Ad Victoriam !'.

The ship was advancing ahead close to the ground, firing the machine gun round and rockets toward the horde. Passing a few meters above the two, showering them left and right with bullet shells.

The wall opened to let them pass.

They stopped and turned one hundred and eighty degrees, watching as the Vertibird cleared almost the entire horde of ghouls approaching the water towers.

'You pals with Paladin Erenheight ?', asked the woman, getting off the back of the motorcycle.

'Not me really, I know someone who does.', responded the man.

'Wilson ! You dimwit !', yelled a man wearing a Power Armor with the insignia of the Brotherhood of Steel engraved on the chest. 'Those are my wheels !'.

'Isn't that Power Armor stolen as well ?'.

'Borrowed. You wrecked mine ! Remember ?'.

'You said it's jetpack worked, I proved you wrong...'.

'You're a prick, you know that ?',

'It's hard to forget.'.

'Hah ! We've been awaiting your return for some time now...', said the man in the power armor approaching the two. 'I'm glad to see this beauty still in one piece. It has some new scratches...'.

'It broke several times on the way back.'.

'Who's this ?', asked the man, noticing the woman behind Wilson.

'I don't know. What's your name ?'.

'Wendy.', responded the woman.

'There you go.'.

'You don't know her ?'.

'Nope. I haven't seen her before.'.

'What !?', responded the woman slightly annoyed.

'Did I ?'

'Yes. Two years ago. In Little Rock !'.

'I don't remember you.', he replied turning away.

'You killed Joe 'Salamander' Hill !'

He turned his head when he heard that name.

'He tried to kill me first...', he then turned completely, and approached the woman. 'They pay 1000 caps for my head ?', he continued smiling. 'And sent people like you to collect ?'.

He then stopped in front of the woman. 'I was good pals with Joe...'.

'I know. I remember.'.

'Funny, I still don't remember you, but you probably didn't look like this...', he said, looking at her scars and cuts. Her left arm had many puncturing wounds, fresh and old.

'Fuck you !', she burst out. 'You fucked it all up ! Joe helped us. He gave us a purpose, a place to belong. A home, which you burnt to ashes, literally !'.

'He was going to get you all killed by now. You and your pals are lucky I stopped by.'.

'What pals, you killed them all in the diner !'.

'Bad luck, I guess...', he said, trying to walk away.

'Don't you dare walk away from this !'.

'You're really temperamental, you know that ? Calm the fuck down. It is done. It's been more than a year since then. Your home is gone, your friends too, so, instead of revengeful acts maybe you should try to befriend new people. It's a whole world out there. But, it's your choice, Wendy.', he then walked away from her, to greet the men and women stepping off the Vertibird.

'Why did you save me ?', asked the woman.

'I don't know...', he responded. 'But, I don't know why I didn't kill you either.', he continued smiling. 'Come on. It's time you made new friends...'.

She knew that what he said was true. She knew that if she'd try to go back to Little Rock there would be nothing for her. So, she followed the advice of the man she tried to kill an hour or so ago, and joined him to greet her new friends...


End file.
